Skate, Rattle And Roll

June 22, 2007|By SAM MCDONALD, smcdonald@dailypress.com | 247-4732

HAMPTON — About 250 skateboarders rolled and rattled down Cunningham Drive and Coliseum Drive in Hampton Thursday as part of a local observance of national Go Skateboarding Day, a day set aside to celebrate and bring attention to the sport.

"Skateboarding gets a bad rap a lot," said local organizer Mike Monteith, owner of Mike's Surf Shop in Hampton. "It is destructive by nature, but 99 percent of skaters have good hearts. They're good people just trying to enjoy their sport. Here, they can celebrate it, be proud of it and do it outdoors, where it's normally illegal."

Grant Miller, a 15-year-old skateboarder from Smithfield, was among those who participated in events that included the skate parade, competitions and giveaways.

"It was pretty fun, cool," he said, "the best thing that's happened this year." He particularly enjoyed the experience of skating down city streets with a police escort. "We get busted everywhere now," Miller said. *

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See more photos from Go Skateboarding Day, celebrated in Hampton at www.dailypress.com/skateboarders